


Bloom

by blackgoldmentality



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drinking, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Partner Betrayal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 18:44:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15516192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackgoldmentality/pseuds/blackgoldmentality
Summary: All it took was a little push... more or less.





	Bloom

**Author's Note:**

> This is my story, which I originally wrote on fanfiction.net (FFN) some years back, and am now uploading here as this is my new, primary fan-fiction account. So if you've seen it before and are worried about if this is plagiarism, please check the original FFN account which I've linked in my bio, to confirm that in this case it's not. I've of course edited the original format just a bit, to be more concise with my new work on here. The chapter notes included are also as they originally were.
> 
> Original Note: I'm flexing my writing skills and decided on doing a one-shot. It'll be a nice, sweet little tale on friendship, and revenge. I think the plot fits well — however, it is rated M for a reason; although, I'm not planning to go into detail about the sex (I'm trying my best to follow FFN's actual rules on M-rated content, as it helps me focus more on the story development and not the sex in it). Not yet. Although, I may place an add-on that does include details... I dunno; I've got to study-up on biology, first.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the original _Naruto_ characters. I only own my interpretation and usage of this plot, and whatever miscellaneous characters I may add.
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated.
> 
> Enjoy!

" _What?!" Her friend screamed. Her cheeks turned a light dusting of rose as the surrounding bystanders looked in their direction. She tried to assure them that everything was alright, with a few nervous smiles, but their attention did not swerve. Nor was it close to doing so, thanks to her infamous best friend. "How the hell have you two not_ _done anything_ _?!"_

" _Ino…" She said softly. "Please, be quiet."_

" _No!" Ino exclaimed. "I refuse! This news should be announced to the world — you could get a_ _trophy_ _for this!"_

" _Ino~!" She whispered/screamed. Her cheeks were starting to burn a harsh red color as the blonde continued to ignore her feelings, and shout her business to the other inhabitants of the popular clothing store. Oh how she wished that the person, whom she considered her best friend, was someone more like sweet little Hinata…_

" _What?!" Ino asked; seemingly oblivious to her embarrassment._

" _Quiet down. It's not that serious." She stated. She took a sip of her drink from her straw, to try and calm her embarrassment down. Oh how she wished the people would stop staring._

" _Not that serious? Sakura, are you mental?" Ino asked. There was a somewhat serious expression on her face — that annoyed the rosy-haired female to no end. "Your boyfriend's body was carved by the gods,_ _themselves_ _, and yet all you two have done for the_ _past eight years_ _is hold hands… how do you expect me to react to this news?!" She exclaimed._

" _Shh!" Sakura exclaimed; placing her hand over Ino's mouth to keep her quiet. The rose coloring on her cheeks grew darker as she noticed a few females who had overheard what Ino said, begin to snicker. She wished she could hide herself in the purple sweater that she had been looking at._

_Ino's eyes narrowed down at the younger female as she grabbed onto Sakura's hand, and removed it._

" _You should really be using that moisturizer I gave you. Your hand has the skin of a crocodile — it's no wonder Sasuke won't even touch you."_

" _Ino…" She said._

" _Look Sakura, I understand that you're a virgin and all and believe in all that wait-until-you're-married nonsense, but you gotta look at the bigger picture. You not having sex with Sasuke is telling him that you just want to be friends with him."_

" _We've been dating for eight years."_

" _Really? Because it seems to me like you've been keeping him at arm's-length all these years. Not once have I seen you two get closer than the average human contact." She stated. "You better be careful, or some girl just may take him right from under your nose, if you don't fully make him yours, soon."_

_Sakura scoffed._

" _Oh really? Like who?"_

" _Oh I dunno — maybe me?" Ino said. Sakura was shocked for a moment before she rolled her eyes at the platinum blonde._

" _Yeah right."_

" _You never know, Sakura. After all, I'm not afraid to get intimate with a male, and_ _who knows_ _how pent-up Sasuke might be after all these years of spending time with you. I mean, you're a pretty girl, Haruno, and I doubt he hasn't thought about throwing you on his bed and making sweet, sweet love to you, once, twice, thrice, or over a thousand times." Her cheeks were aflame once again and Sakura tried to shake the image away from her mind._

" _That's ridiculous. Sasuke would never imagine such a thing." She stated._

" _If you say so…" Ino muttered; grabbing onto what had been her drink and taking a sip of the cherry soda. Sakura ignored the fact that her beverage had just been stolen by her best friend._

_._

_._

She awoke that morning like any other day.

Sitting up in her bed, she stretched her arms above her head before moving her hair back, and getting-out of her bed. As usual, she grabbed her towel from where it hung, and made her way out of her room, and into her bathroom.

She didn't bother turning the lights on. Her window was positioned in the direction that the sun raised and therefore her entire bathroom was illuminated by natural sunlight. So she stepped-in and immediately stripped down to her underwear. For a moment, she studied her body.

She had wide hips, a slim physique with barely any curves on her body, small breasts that a girl growing averagely could out-do, long legs that were toned from her years of running and strength training, and choppy pink hair that went down to her shoulders. It would've reached her mid-back if she hadn't cut it, a few days ago. And while her face was pretty with her button nose, slim pink lips, and large green eyes, she couldn't help but lightly frown at herself — at her reflection.

( _Perhaps… if she had been a little more curvy…?_ )

She shook her head.

Ignoring what her inner was saying to her, she took-off her underwear and stepped inside of her shower. Turning the water on, she didn't flinch when it came-out cold; but instead turned-on the hot and felt as the water became warmer.

A few minutes later, she had fully washed herself and brushed her teeth. She entered her room dressed in only a towel, and wasted no time in putting-on her basic, Saturday ensemble.

She had no duties to attend to that day, being as how she had finished her internship and had finished her university assignments a few days ago (she briefly remembered the sleepless nights so that today she would have absolutely nothing to do), and so now she was free-as-a-bird until… something happened. She didn't know. All she knew was that she could spend Saturday doing absolutely nothing.

Tying her hair up with a few bobby pins, and dressed in some sweatpants and a plain t-shirt, she walked out of her bedroom and headed to her small kitchen. There, she began to prepare a cup of coffee, before starting on her breakfast.

As the hours passed, she did nothing. She caught-up on the shows that she had taped, talked to people whom she hadn't seen in a month, and even realized that she was a failure as an artist as she tried to draw the animal on the back of her gum package. (She definitely had no future as an artist…)

When it was around that time, she got the mail and looked through the envelopes. Post cards from friends, the occasional bill, a letter from her mentor and—

She froze.

The scent that wafted into her nose was unmistakable. She knew it better than she knew the back of her hand. That very specific blend of rose water and vanilla…

She opened that letter first.

And her eyes landed on a cream-colored card. Pulling it out, she looked at the picture on the front, before opening it.

_._

_._

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of…_

.

.

Everyone was seated.

Each row in the church had been filled with the guests, and there were so many attendees that some people even had to stand at the sides or sit in makeshift chairs. The holy home had been decorated with nothing but white and purple flowers, with the occasional gold decoration here-and-there, to match the bride's color scheme. Chandeliers had been installed into the ceilings (easily removable), that reflected the light coming in front the tinted-glass windows so beautifully, and directed the white light towards the happy couple.

All of the attention was directed to the center of the space, at the end of a long red carpet that had been placed on the polished wooden floors, and was now covered in rose petals thanks to the flower girl.

On the left side were the bridesmaids. Their dresses were of a dark purple color, with a white ribbon wrapped around their waists, and tied at the side in a big bow. Their hairs were each in up-dos, and around the front of their buns was a crown of golden leaves. The bouquets in their hands held this very color scheme — white, purple, and with a dash of gold. For extra brilliance, tiny jewels were placed inside and around each flower, hanging onto hard, white plastic strings that were curved out. Their left wrists had a simple flower piece that matched this, and their shoes were two-inch, strappy heels that were white.

On the groom's side, his men were dressed in purple tuxedoes. While normally this would be rather ridiculous, the bride had made sure that they looked  _perfect_  in it and had picked a dark purple color that would not look as ostentatious, but remain lovely. Their shirts were gold, and their ties white. Their shoes were polished black, and their hair  _had_  to be slicked back. Some of the men did this on their own — others had to be done by force. But overall, they all looked perfect, in her eyes. Finally, in each of their ears were small diamond earrings.

And in the middle of this row, were the bride and her groom.

He was dressed in an all-white, velvet tuxedo with silk purple lining. The buttons on his suit were gold with his clan symbol engraved into each individual button and cufflink, and his shoes were the shiniest of them all; freshly polished not moments before he walked to the altar. His own hair was slicked back against his head, and allowed his handsome face to be shown. Diamond earrings larger than the one his groomsmen wore, shined in his ears, and he made sure to keep his face stoic and his head straight, as he avoided his crying, happy mother.

Beside him, dressed in the most beautiful gown any woman at that church had ever seen, was his lucky bride.

Her gown was the most dazzling white color he'd ever laid eyes on. It was brilliant with the way it clung to the natural curves of her body, until it went past her knees. There, it flowed and opened widely — a mermaid-shaped dress. The train that it created went down to where the row of seated wedding guests began, and was dazzling with the hand-sewn jewels in its ruffled, silk construction. The bodice of the dress clung to her as though it were a corset, and lifted up her breasts and tucked her waist in; accentuating the transition from her upper chest to her stomach, and then her hips.

There was an intricate flower design inside the double-ruffled space that ran down the side of the bodice, with the area that was not inside of the ruffles being simple, solid white silk. Where the bodice went down to her hips, it curved to further show-off the shape of her dress, and from there seamless white fabric flowed just tight and yet loose enough to allow her to walk flawlessly in the heels that she wore.

The strapless wedding down had a v-cut that showed some of her cleavage, but still made it appropriate to wear. Hiding some of her cleavage, though, was an extravagant diamond necklace that resembled an Egyptian piece, but done in modern day. Her arms were covered up to her elbows in finger-less white gloves with flower embroidery on them, and the bouquet in her hands was a much larger, more glamorous version than the ones her bridesmaids had in their hands.

Her hair was wrapped-up in an up-do, but from inside the wrapped hair came a ponytail that went down to her shoulders. The veil that she wore had a flower pattern sewn into it, and went down to her waist; hiding the open back of her dress.

It was a beautiful set-up; with flowers and nothing but the glamorous. Even the seat padding for the booths of the church was replaced with something more plush that fit-in perfectly with the wedding scheme.

They had practically remade it, to look  _perfect_.

The priest, in his holy attire, asked if they'd take each other's hands in marriage. They agreed without a second-thought. And with the ring many-karat diamond rings on each of their fingers that sparkled like no other even in the little light that reached them, they turned to each other.

"You may now kiss the bride."

He grabbed onto the side of the veil, and began to raise it over his now-wife's head. Their eyes connected, and she gave him such a dazzling smile as they moved-in for the kiss. His eyes landed on her lips which shined with the pink lip-stain and gloss combination that had been applied, and he spotted her white teeth that were hidden. With his eyes set on them, and hers set on his, they got closer and closer. They were mere inches away from sealing the deal—

" _Hold it_!"

The people in their seats began to lightly chatter as, out of nowhere, one of the female guests rose from their seats and began to march-up the aisle in anger. The almost official husband and wife stopped their almost-kiss and turned to watch as the very angry female walked-up the aisle, and then smacked the bride across the face; the woman recoiling and smacking the female back.

The patrons of the church gasped, and one of the groomsmen quickly went to restrain the female.

"You  _bitch_!" The woman yelled as she watched the husband begin to comfort his wife. "How could you?! I can't believe you did this to me!"

"I did nothing!" Shouted the bride. She swiftly and easily got-out of her husband's grasp as she threw her bouquet down on the ground, and got closer to the female. Her cheek was stinging with a red imprint, but she ignored the slight pain. She expected such a thing to happen, someday.

" _Liar_!" The fuming female shouted at her. "Don't play innocent — you know what you did, you horrible creature; how could you do such a thing to your  _best friend_?!"

"Look who's talking — you  _hypocrite_! Don't act as if you've been the victim here — I wasn't the one who slept with her best friend's fiancé!" She shouted. The people of the church were shocked to hear this news, looking at each other as though asking if they had known this before them, before they fell into a hush when it became clear that this was information that all of them were hearing for the first time.

The restrained woman's eyes widened as the bride shouted this at her. Nothing but fear and shock was apparent in green orbs.

"W-wha—"

"That's right, Sakura…" The bride said softly, moving some of her hair and part of her veil to the side as she tried to fix her appearance once again. "I  _know_."

.

.

_It happened a mere three weeks ago; on the night of their engagement party…_

.

.

" _Congratulations_!"

Cheers and streamers, among other things, flew at the happy couple at the engagement party. The engaged pair shielded themselves from the objects coming in their direction; the soon-to-be-wife laughing while the soon-to-be-husband groaned at the idiocy of their friends. Amidst the clapping, the group could hear bottles of champagne being opened and alcohol poured as they officially started the private party in one of the upstairs booths in the club that they were at.

"Thank you!" Ino exclaimed.

She looked gorgeous that day dressed in a sleek, little red dress. It went down to her thighs and had a diamond cut-out that showed off the top area of her breasts. Around her ankles were diamond-studded black heels and her hair was loose, but pulled back with a black headband. The dress was perfectly showing off the curves of her body; her lifted breasts, her slim waist, nice hips (and butt), and her long legs. With the little makeup that she had on her face, and the help of the accessories she wore, she was easily deemed the prettiest of the present females; and her fiancé deemed lucky to have her.

Beside her, her fiancé, Uchiha Sasuke was dressed more simply. A white shirt and black leather jacket, along with jeans and black shoes. He wore simple jewelry such as earrings and one of his favorite watches, and his hair was in its regular, spiky style. There was an intoxicating cologne smell coming off of him that could drive a female mad if she inhaled it while drunk, or was exposed to it for long periods of time. With his aristocratic features and cold persona that had the air of challenge around it, he was very attractive and surely a catch for any female.

"Man, I can't believe the teme is finally getting married." Said Naruto, a blond mail with spiky hair and dressed in orange and black, as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke and held a cup of champagne in his other hand. "After all these years… I seriously thought it was never gonna happen." Naruto said with a nostalgic tone to his voice.

"Yeah, well, it just took the right girl for him to finally propose. Haha!" Ino said. Smiling brightly, she lifted her left hand that showed-off her sparkling engagement ring to everyone in the room. "Oh I can't wait for this wedding — it's gonna be in newspapers and magazines — it's gonna be  _the wedding of the century!_  So, none of you get married since it won't even come  _close_  to ours. Haha!  _Just kidding_!"

It was clear that she was already drunk and word vomit was just coming out of her mouth. Sasuke already knew that on her way to the club, she and her friends had had a few drinks; the smell of alcohol coming from the present females was proof.

He groaned; he wasn't sure if he could handle a drunk Ino, along with other drunk friends of theirs.

"So when's the honeymoon?" Asked Tenten.

"That night — if you know what I mean..." Ino stated with a wink in her friend's direction.

"Not like it'll be anything special. After all, Ino's been passed around more often than a basketball." Joked Kiba. The gang erupted in laughter that Ino tried to get to stop as she verbally assaulted Kiba. The confrontation only grew more hilarious as it spanned to other faults in the parties, and comments on each other's past mistakes were made.

While the group seemed fully engaged in their conversation and roast, so to speak, there was only one person who was not necessarily happy about being there.

Sakura sat alone in a corner of the room. She was the only one that was uninterested in being there; this showing in how she was dressed in nothing but a white blouse and a black skirt, with her hair back in a ponytail and some lip-gloss and eyeliner the only makeup present on her face. In her hands was a cup that held some of the alcohol that had been present in the limo that Ino took her to the club with, and she sipped at it absentmindedly as she stared at her group of friends.

It was… unfair, she would admit.

Sasuke had been her boyfriend so long, and then suddenly Ino came in and took him away from her. She had thought nothing of it at the time, saying that Sasuke would see that Ino was not the right fit for him and would one day come back to her, but instead she received a letter in the mail announcing their engagement.

Ah, how shocking that had been for her.

She couldn't remember what she had done on that day, but she knew that it was borderline pathetic. She supposed she had cried her heart out and contemplated why things turned out the way they did, before resolving to just suck it up and deal with it. It was an unhealthy decision, but it'd gotten her this far, so she supposed that it was a good decision.

She couldn't help but wonder: if she had been more assertive and progressive in her relationship with Sasuke, would things have turned out the way they did? Would, in Ino's place right now, she be?

She had thought that taking their relationship slow had been a good thing. She didn't want to be distracted by him as she went through medical school and earned her PHD. Sasuke had been very understanding, and she felt taking things nice and slow, and allowing them both to focus on getting their education before becoming serious, was the smart decision to make.

But maybe… maybe she should've just been dumb and in love back then, so that she wouldn't have to suffer that way?

.

.

The group had moved from the room and made their way down to the dance-floor. Some stayed behind to chat and drink comfortably — she was one of them.

With a large bottle of sake in front of her, Sakura gorged into that; having decided early on that in order to make the night go by faster, she'd get herself drunk and let everything go by in a blur. That way, tomorrow, she wouldn't have to remember any of these awful things.

"Whoa, slow down there, Sak." Said Naruto. He had been part of the group to go downstairs, but had come back up in order to get some food into his stomach. He had seen their waiter(s) come up there with trays of food, and knew that the ramen that he had ordered  _had_  to be one of them. Sure enough, there it sat on the table, next to around three medium-sized sake bottles that were empty. "You don't wanna get your stomach pumped now do you,  _Doctor_  Haruno?" He said teasingly.

Sakura scoffed, becoming irritable whenever she drunk tons of alcohol, and continued downing the remaining liquid in the large clay bottler. "Whatever… I'll be  _fine_!" She stated as she leaned back into the couch that was there.

"Sure~" Naruto said, sarcastically. He sat down next to her and grabbed one of the bowls of miso ramen. He started to slurp it in, watching from the corner of his eyes as Sakura continued to drink the bottle empty, and then proceeded to get back up to order more.

Despite not being in heels, she tripped as she tried to walk.

"Are you okay, Sak?" Naruto asked, moving to help her up. Sakura responded by putting her hand up to him and stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm fine; just a little influenced, nothing big. My mind has just lost some basic mobility skills and I need something to wring out the alcohol. After a few snacks, all will be well." She said as she climbed back up on the couch and looked out at the table. Among her empty bottles of sake were loads of food in groups; not touched or half-eaten depending on what the party wanted, and she immediately went for some of the sandwiches that were there.

Naruto just watched as she seemed to bitterly bite into the bread; as though she was angry at it.

"Sakura-chan?" He asked her, more seriously.

"What?" Sakura said with her mouth full of food. The look she gave him as he called her name, made him sigh and put his ramen back on the table.

"Okay, what's wrong?" He asked.

Sakura swallowed. "Nothing's wrong. Why would you even ask that?" She told him, unconvincing him.

"Sakura, I've known you since pre-k. Don't lie to me. I know that something's wrong." He said to her. And, as though the situation finally caught up to him, his eyes widened. "You're upset that they're getting married… aren't you?"

She sobered up.

"Wha—? Don't be ridiculous, Naruto; I'm fine." She began to munch on her tiny triangle-shaped sandwich, trying to keep Naruto from prying more into a topic that she'd really rather  _not_  go into.

"Sakura, don't lie to me."

"Dammit Naruto can't you just leave me  _alone_!" She snapped at him, surprising him and their two friends who remained in the room. Feeling that things were about to go down that they'd rather not witness, the couple left the room with the excuse of going downstairs to join the others, and it was only her and Naruto left. Naruto had gone silent at her declaration.

Realizing what she had done, she sighed. "I'm sorry…" She said softly, turning away from him. "I just… ugh…" She stopped eating and put the remainder of the sandwich on the closest plate. Leaning forward and resting her elbow on her knees, she placed her head inside of her hands and heaved a heavy sigh. "Oh god…" She choked out.

"Sakura, I know it must hurt you a lot to see Sasuke marry Ino, and I think it's unfair, but—"

" _Why would she do that_?!" She screamed at him. By this point she was crying and the tears were sliding down her cheeks in angry little drops. "It just— I just—! She's supposed to be my  _best friend_ , Naruto! And she goes ahead and steals my boyfriend…" At the end of her sentence her voice began to crack as the sadness that she would not allow to come out when she was sober, made its full appearance now that her guard was down and she was drunk. Crying more into her hands, she furiously wiped at the tears. "It just… it's not fair… None of it is fair…!"

Naruto put his ramen to the side, not planning to go back to it anytime soon. He had been waiting for this to happen, and had been preparing several of the things that he could so.

( _"It's not so bad. There's_ _no way_ _that bastard can handle Ino! They'll be divorced in no time."_

" _He just wasn't the right one, Sakura. But you'll find your guy someday."_

" _If he's willing to give-up an 8-year-long relationship that easily, then it's best that you didn't marry him."_

" _Sasuke's a dick and Ino's a bitch. They're_ _made_ _for each other."_

" _You're too good for him."_ )

But now that he was finally in the situation where words of comfort and encouragement were necessary, none of them seemed to fit. He was unsure as to what he should do. He needed to make Sakura feel better, but how?

Hell, he'd been the one to watch their relationship grow throughout the years. He was the one who'd pushed Sasuke to get up off his ass and to go speak to the quiet bookworm in the library whose table he always sat at and the two used to study. When Sasuke had told him that he had begun to find her attractive, he had jumped at the chance to get him finally interested in females after being so cold, and had played  _Extreme Matchmaker_  as he did everything in his power to drive the two together.

When they finally announced publicly that they were dating, he'd never been happier. He had just felt it in his loins that the two were truly each other's soul-mates.

So when Sasuke suddenly told him that he was going to dump Sakura and go out with Ino…

He swore he'd never been so mad. Not even when Sasuke told him that he planned to marry her was he ever as upset as the day that he cut-off his eight-year-long relationship with Sakura. It was something that devastated him and their group of friends, who had grown to love the two together.

(And on a more personal note: seriously, Ino? Of all the girls in the world that he could have chosen to dump Sakura for, he chose  _Ino_? Was his best friend  _mad_?!

Don't get him wrong, he had nothing against Ino, but not  _once_  had he shown interest in the platinum blonde. Sasuke had even admitted to him that girls like Ino simply weren't his type — she was too hyperactive for him and he preferred a girl that was more… quiet and could go along with his pace.

Sakura had been that girl. She was the  _perfect_  fit for him.)

Unsure as to how he should console Sakura as she continued crying and being honest with herself, Naruto went to simply hug her. Maybe just knowing that he was there for her and would help her get through this situation, was enough?

But the moment he touched her, she swatted his hand away. Raising her head from her hands, with her green eyes outlined by red, Sakura made a grab for the bottle of sake — only to remember that it was empty and trying once again to stand up from the couch and going to order some more.

Naruto wouldn't let her, and grabbed her arm and pulled her back down on the couch.

"Lemme go, Naruto!" She screamed as she pulled on her arm to try and get him to release her from his grip. But Naruto wouldn't budge, and she grabbed at the hand holding her and dug her blunt nails into his skin, trying to cause him enough pain and annoyance that he'd let go.

"Sakura, you can't keep drinking to solve your problems." He said to her seriously.

"Shut up! You don't know  _anything_!"

"I know it's not gonna make it go away." He said sternly. "If you really wanna make the best of this Sasuke marrying Ino situation, then at least try to show them that it doesn't bother you at all. They both know that you drink to forget about something bad when it happens. Their seeing you this way will only make things worse."

She wouldn't hear it. She continued to try and break herself free.

"I just—ngh! Need a little… courage."

"Courage for what?"

"To look at their faces, okay!  _Now let go of me_!" Naruto only made his grip on her tighter, and brought her in more. Eventually he had Sakura in a hug and while she struggled and pounded at his chest to make her go free, he did his best to continue holding her and keeping her from going off and doing something stupid.

"This isn't the answer. There are other ways to handle this."

"Like  _what_?!" Sakura cried. She was emotionally unstable when she was drunk, and this caused her to have her present mood-swings. "I've tried to get him back, Naruto, I honestly have…" She said, gripping tightly and staining his shirt with her salty tears. "The… the day he dumped me, I went over to his house to try and talk it out— but… but he wouldn't hear me out."

"All he kept saying was,  _Go home, Sakura. It's over_. It broke my heart…" Sobbing and trying to keep it contained within, but failing miserably, the pink-haired girl replayed the scene in her mind where she was  _begging_  him to talk to her and see if they could work out whatever problem was happening between them that led to the break-up.

But he wouldn't even look at her; looking everywhere but where he needed to.  _"You look pathetic."_  She remembered him saying when he finally glanced at her.

Her face had been red nearly all over from the screaming and crying and frustration that just welled-up in her, and since he had chosen to tell her that abruptly in the middle of the night, she didn't exactly look her best after getting a cab to his place while wearing her pajamas and slippers, and her hair disheveled. Yes, she had supposed that she did look pathetic in that moment, but that didn't mean that it had hurt any less to hear it from him.

Before when she ended-up looking that way from an all-nighter that had gotten the better of her, he had called it cute.

And now it was suddenly pathetic…

Grasping onto Naruto's shirt with the very nails that just moments ago she had tried to use to tear off his skin, Sakura tried to bury herself into him more. She needed this. She needed this comfort.

She had been feeling so horrible trying to keep just how shattered she was because of the situation inside, and to be open about it and have someone there that knew about the situation and whom she could lean on, even if it was for just a couple of seconds, was a luxury that in her drunken haze she cherished like it was everything.

She sniffed.

"I want him back, Naruto… I want my Sasuke-kun to love me again and hold me and just…  _be_  with me… What do I need to do?" She asked him softly.

Naruto sighed. "I don't know. To be honest, I've been thinking it over myself…" He said as he stroked her back gently. What was it? What was it that they needed to do to get Sasuke to at least hear Sakura out and actually start  _thinking_  about what his decision was doing to her — to them — and that it wasn't working out? He then joked, "Maybe we just need to fuck him up?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Maybe…" Sakura repeated, her mind thinking it over and unable to comprehend that Naruto was not serious. "Maybe we  _do_  just need to kick the  _shit_  out of him!" In the blink of an eye, the fast-paced, angry drunk Sakura took over for cry-baby Sakura so quickly, that he had no time to register her getting up and pushing him down and off the couch away from her and going out the door before he could even stand and go after her.

Getting to his feet as quickly as he could, Naruto exited the rented room and looked left and right before spotting Sakura. She was headed down the hallway, and in the direction of the stairs that led down to the dance-floor.

"Sakura! Wait!" Naruto called out.

"Don't try to stop me, Naruto! This  _needs to be done_!" She stated as she quickly stomped her way down the hall, with her cheeks tinted rosy and her fists clenched to where her hands were whiter than she was, and ready to be pulled back and slung into a face.

He ran after her as she continued to power-walk in an angry fury towards the stairs. "You can't just beat him up! That won't solve anything!"

"I don't care!  _I'll make him feel the pain I'm feeling_ …!" She hissed venomously. She seemed fully determined to go through with it. Naruto finally caught-up to her and grabbed her by her arm. "Why are you always grabbing at me? Let me go!" She exclaimed as they went through a short déjà vu routine.

"Fighting won't solve anything."

"Fighting won't solve anything, alcohol won't solve anything — what  _will solve it then, Naruto_? Huh? Tell me if you have the answers to  _everything_  O' Great One!" She sneered out sarcastically, a hand moving to rest on her hips and her feet tapping impatiently on the carpeted floor. Naruto sighed. Drunk Sakura was too much for him. He missed the sweet and sober Sakura that had fooled around with him back when she was still with Sasuke, and he didn't even  _know_  she drunk (he'd been surprised when she took him to a brewery restaurant and introduced him to her favorite beers and sakes).

"What about… what about talking?" At this, she gave him a twisted and annoyed look on her face, with her head tilted to the side. Already he could tell she didn't like it

"I tried that already, don't 'ya remember?" She asked him.

"Yeah, but… That was then and this is now. Maybe he wasn't ready to listen to you then but since a few weeks have passed and stuff has gone on, maybe he's ready now?"

"Stop wasting my time and let me go so I can go kick his ass." She pulled at her arm but Naruto still held on tightly; physically confronting Sasuke was not what she needed to do. In fact, it would just make the situation  _worse_. If she harmed Sasuke, Ino would harm her and then the two would start fighting against one another and he didn't want the night to end with Sakura possibly getting arrested for having started the altercation in the first place.

"Come on, it's not as bad as it sounds! I can get the two of you into a room alone together without Ino knowing, and you can talk it out. Some closure will do you good." Naruto said trying to convince her. But when it looked like Sakura was still going to go down there onto the dance-floor and cause a scene, he hesitantly threw in, "I'll order some more sake for you. Three large bottles of it if you go along and talk everything out with Sasuke, okay?"

She stopped struggling.

"Three bottles?"

"Three  _large_  bottles — I'll even throw in some smaller ones when the two of you finish talking. My treat."

Naruto knew her too well, in her drunken state. He knew that if anything would appeal to her when she was like that, it was more of the liquid that got her to that point in the first place. And it worked. She stopped struggling and Naruto let her go. She stood there for a few seconds, thinking about something, and Naruto was half-ready to grab her again in case promising her more stake wasn't enough.

But she pleasant surprised him as she began to start walking in the opposite direction, back to the private room. "I'll be waiting for him  _and_  my sake."

Naruto let a small smile grace his lips.

At least he got Sakura's cooperation for the time being; now he just needed to get Sasuke away from Ino and get him to follow along, as well.

.

.

It had been easier than he expected to get Sasuke to go up to the room.

Ino was drunk and too busy dancing the night away on the floor with some guy to notice her fiancé standing at the edges of the dance-floor with nothing to do, and just waiting for her to finish living it up. When he approached him and told him that there was a situation going on with the booth upstairs that the manager wanted to talk to him about since it was rented in his name, Sasuke followed him without any suspicions.

He had no  _idea_  what would go on in that room once the two were together. He knew that they would both try to get out of it, and for that he needed to find some way to lock them in.

He settled on: the moment Sasuke stepped in or he pushed him in, he would close the door and push back against it as much as he could possibly could, for as long as he needed to. He wouldn't let the two of them out until they spoke.

"So what again is the problem with the room?" Sasuke asked him when they were just meters away.

"I dunno, man. The manager said to just go and get you."

"Hn. This better not take long. I've got things to do this evening."

"Yeah. Watching your fiancée have fun without you  _sure_  is a lot of work." He joked sarcastically. Sasuke sucked his teeth at him and they finally made it to the room.

Opening the door, he allowed Sasuke to go in first and then as soon as he watched the Uchiha's eyes lay on Sakura who sat in perfect view of him at the other side of the room and munching away at some of the other food present on the table, he sensed that Sasuke was ready to turn around and leaving — having been able to see that it was  _clearly_  a trap — and pushed him in more and closed the door as fast as he could.

"Naruto!" Sasuke screamed at him from the other side while pounding on the door. "Naruto what the hell is this? Let me out!"

"You two need to talk things out!" Naruto yelled back. "It's good for you, trust me!" He tried to reassure his best friend, who continued to push against the door and try to overpower him. But Naruto wouldn't have the two escaping, and dug his feet into the carpet and pushed back with all his might.

"Naruto let me out!"

"Not until you finish talking!"

On the other side of the door, Sasuke pinched the top of his nose with his eyes closed as his annoyance of the situation grew. Honestly, out of all the crap that Naruto could've pulled that night; this wasn't he needed at the moment.

On the couch, he heard Sakura scoff.

"Just take a seat and let's get this over with,  _Princess_ ," she mocked with the type of cockiness that only alcohol could provide her. "Blondie's not gonna be letting us out anytime soon — besides, there's sake in it for me and I'm not gonna let you fuck that up like you did to my life."

Sasuke groaned.

 _Great — she's drunk._  In his time dating her, he had grown to learn that Sakura was an emotional drunk. The way she acted depended on how she was feeling or wanted to feel like. Sometimes she'd be that annoying happy drunk, the emo sad drunk, and rarely had he experienced the horny cuddly drunk that had tested his self control to no end.

This drunk; the sarcastic, cocky, doesn't-give-a-care Sakura was one of the ones he hated most, as she was the most troubling to deal with. Her hardheadedness in this personality caused nothing but endless migraines as she chewed him out in every way possible for whatever it was that she was angry about.

And since this was  _surely_  about his marrying Ino, he was in for one hell-of-a night.

"What? Are you scared of me or something?" She asked him as she lifted her head to look at him and saw that he still hadn't moved from his spot. He only glared at the floor in that sulking mood that she disliked. "I don't bite, Princess, so go and take a seat somewhere. Lord knows you hate doing the same thing for too long." She grabbed at the bottle of sake that lay on the table, and realized once again that it was an empty bottle.

"Oi! Naruto!  _Where's my sake_?!" She yelled at him, holding the empty clay bottle in her hand and shaking it as though Naruto could see it from his position on the other side of the door.

" _Uh! I'll get right on that Sakura! Now just stay in there and start talking_!" His muffled voice proclaimed to her.

She put the sake bottle down with a glare on her face.

"Naruto let me out!" Sasuke yelled, starting once again to pound on the door. At this, Sakura grew furious.

"Listen,  _dumbass_ , any other person can see that we're not getting out of here until we  _talk_. I don't like, and I know you don't like it, but sit your Uchiha behind down on that couch and at least  _pretend_  like we're having a civilized conversation for a few moments, so we can both get the  _hell out_." And beneath her breath she grumbled, "I want this as badly as you wanted to get out of our relationship."

Sasuke sighed.

Annoyed at the fact that she had a point, he hesitantly made his way to the other rectangular couch that was present, with its back to the door, and took a seat. He sat on the side that would be furthest from Sakura, and did all he could to avoid making eye-contact with her, or even looking in her direction. This involved placing his elbow on the couch armrest that was there, and looking at the decorations on the left wall.

Seeing this, Sakura sucked her teeth.

She wanted to be in that situation less than he did —  _she_  should be the one avoiding eye-contact and pretending that he wasn't there since  _she's_  suffered most out of the both of them.

Not liking this at all, she tried to get his attention.

"Hey… hey…" She called out. Although he narrowed his eyes as though he were trying to zoom-in on the wall, he didn't respond to her. "Hey… hey!" Still nothing.

"Tch." She crossed her arms over her chest and began to pout like a little kid at the situation. "Bastard."

.

.

"Hey, is everything alright in here?"

Naruto poked his head into the room a few minutes later with a dopey, happy smile on his face. He was greeted with a less-than-positive atmosphere and it was clear to him that the two had not spoken one word to each other besides what Angry Drunk Sakura would probably say to insult him.

"I brought you some party favors!" Trying to keep his mood cheery, he presented to them a tray with three large bottles of sake and two cups on it, that he had promised Sakura for her cooperation. Laying her eyes on the ceramic bottles, Sakura finished chewing the food that she had decided to eat as her medical sense told her to use to sponge-out some of the alcohol in her stomach, and said to Naruto, "About time."

He entered the room and placed the tray on the table in the center of the room. While Sakura went immediately for it, Sasuke didn't budge.

"Let. Me.  _Out_."

"I'll be back later to check on you two. Have fun~!" And with that, and one other flashy smile, he exited the room.

Sasuke exhaled through his nose.

He still couldn't believe what it was that was running through that idiot's head. Locking him in a room with Sakura was doing no one any favors. All it did was put two people who really shouldn't be in each other's presence, in each other's presence and adding more tension to the situation.

Feeling uncomfortable in the position that he had been in for the — he looked at his watch — past twenty minutes, he went to shift his position.

It was in the transition that he glanced at her.

She had a happy smile on her face as she opened one of the large bottles and poured it into the small, bowl-like cup that was there. When the right amount had filled it, she placed the bottle down and with the tips of her fingers both holding the little cup up, she sipped it gently. Feeling the satisfying burn of it go down her throat, she let out a sigh of relief and gave a brilliant smile.

 _She looks—_  He stopped his thought. Now was  _not_  the time to start thinking things such as that. No matter how… appealing she had looked while doing that, thoughts like that is worse than him hating her.

Turning away, he put more effort into not glancing at her as he tried to keep the distance between them the same, and settled upon reading over the banner that congratulated him and his fiancée on their engagement, over and over again. During this, the only sound that filled the room was the tick-tock of the clock, and the sound Sakura made as she slurped out more alcohol.

Surprisingly, she eventually she got up from her seat at the couch; after fixing her clothing as best as she could she went over to him and held out a cup of sake.

"There were two — I assume one is yours." She said rationally.

Not daring to look up at her, he looked at the cup and after debating the pros and cons of him accepting and not accepting the cup, he found that his accepting of it and starting to drink with her would  _not_  be a good thing. So he refused it and she went to place it on the table, near him.

"It's there if you want it."

.

.

Two hours in and they still hadn't spoken or interacted since she offered him the alcohol. He had started to pace around due to his anxiousness of getting out of the room, while she continued having her own little party and drinking with taking a few moments in between to eat-up and try and keep herself a little more sober.

"Damn that Naruto." Sasuke murmured under his breath. "How long does he intend to keep us in here?" He had tried to get him to let them out, once again, but the doorknob wouldn't budge and it didn't appear as though Naruto was outside anymore. He had locked them in using the key to the room — he must've gotten it from the manager or something at one point when the both of them had just accepted the fact that they were stuck in there, and didn't try to get it.

Sakura gulped down another cup. "Until we talk." Despite being on what was surely her fifth bottle, Sakura was strange in the way that when she drunk more, after a certain point, she started acting more sober than intoxicated. Such was the case now as she looked regular to him while drinking away.

"Hn. At this point you're gonna end up getting your stomach pumped." Sasuke said as he stopped pacing and looked down at her. He knew this fact well; he'd dated her for so long.

While she frowned up at him, she shook it off and continued her own mini-party. "Funny. That's the same thing Naruto said." She began to pour more into the cup. "But I don't think I'll end-up needing it — I know when my limit is and this is most certainly  _not it_." She drank another.

"Hn."

Several more minutes into the situation, Sakura had finished two of the three bottles that Naruto had given her, and Sasuke was at his wits-end. The night was getting stronger and he honestly didn't feel like being stuck there the whole time. He had things to do in the morning and  _needed_  to be able to get some sleep. Groaning, he swooped down and grabbed his sake cup that Sakura had placed on the table and not touched since he refused it. He shot it back and then went for the unopened bottle to get some more.

Sakura frowned. "I thought you said you didn't want any."

"I changed my mind."

.

.

"You know… I loved you." Sakura said a while later. She was swishing some sake around in her little cup and looking at it in a daze. While it caught Sasuke off-guard, from his position leaning down against the couch with some sake in his own hand, and the haze in his mind getting stronger, he made no moves to stop her. He just let her continue. "I loved you a lot… I thought you were my one…"

"Hn." He responded, moving to drink more of the sake. He knew that Sakura had gotten to the point where drunken words were spoken truths couldn't have been more correctly applied. She didn't know what she was saying; her heart was controlling her mind. He briefly stood to grab at the bottle that she seemed to abandon, which was still half-full; if he was going to listen to this, he was going to need more haze.

"I thought  _we_  were the ones who were gonna get married." She let out a bitter laugh. "I guess Ino was right…"

"What?" He asked; his interest piqued.

She sighed. "A few months before she started dating you, she said to me that if I didn't do anything to get closer to you, she would take you from me… I didn't believe her.  _Sasuke would never date you_ , I said.  _He would never dump me just to get sex_ , I said." She threw her head back, the cup still in her hand. "I guess I was wrong… all guys really are the same, aren't they?"

"You think I dumped you for sex?"

"Well  _gosh_ , Sasuke, why else?" She asked as she moved forward as though her upper body was thrown on a sling. "Our relationship was perfect to me. I loved you, you loved me; we could've been a happy family."

"I didn't dump you to have sex with Ino — I haven't even  _had_  any sex with Ino."

"Well that's gonna change in a few weeks, isn't it?" And at the very thought of the two of them being entangled in one another and doing the things that she had grown up being told could only be done with a lover, she took the sake cup that was still in her hand and threw it back down her throat. She shivered at the burn and sighed. "Is it… is it because she was prettier than me?" She asked now that more liquid courage had gone down her throat. "I get that I'm not the… curviest of girls," she said as she moved around on the couch, trying to fix her posture as best as she could. "But I don't think that's anything to break up with me over…"

"It's not that, either. You're a beautiful girl, Sakura; your body type had nothing to do with it." The words were out of his mouth before he could even register them, and looking up at her, he noticed the pink flush on her face had grown deeper, and how she turned to look away from him. He wanted to say something to stop whatever confusion may arise from his words, but he settled for saying nothing.

It's better not to make a bad situation worse.

"Then… why?" She asked. "I—I know you probably don't wanna tell me since you don't see it as being important but… but… I just need to know, okay? If I know the reason why, I can move on; it's better than constantly wondering, ya know?" She moved to get more sake, but noticed that he had the bottle in his hand. Putting her cup down, she gave up on it.

Sasuke debated whether he should tell her his reason for dumping her or not. It was something that, at the time, he felt was a valid reason for ending his relationship with Sakura. But after seeing her that night when she came over to his house in her all-nighter outfit and tried to get him to listen to her, among other things that he's heard from their mutual friends and seen first-hand, he wasn't sure whether it was a good reason or not, anymore.

He wouldn't lie.

He still loved Sakura. She had been his first girlfriend and the eight years they spent together were perfect. She had been brilliant in telling him that since she wanted to focus on her studies and didn't want to be distracted, they would take their relationship slow and not go as fast-paced as other couples did. It had allowed him to easily incorporate having a girlfriend into his life, since it didn't take time away from his own studies and responsibilities, yet still gave him that satisfaction of being with someone whenever the two were together.

They got joy off of the little things; just being around each other's presence and spending time in the library together. When they went out in public, holding hands held a greater intimacy level to them than something such as kissing did. They hadn't had their first kiss together, but the several almost-kisses made his heart beat faster than if they did kiss.

Sakura was a level-headed, smart girl who every now and then would show him sides of her that he couldn't believe she had, and that was one of the things that he loved about her.

He honestly wanted to marry  _her_.

But—

"I got… scared…" He finally said.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"I got scared… I got scared, I got scared, I got scared." He repeated, as though he were trying to drive this into her head so that she would never forget.

Confused, she asked, "Why? About what?"

He sighed. He might as well tell her the whole truth.

"Ino came over to my house one day, and started talking about our relationship together.  _You and Sakura haven't done anything note-worthy. While she may seem happy with it, she told me the other day that she wished that the two of you had at least kissed._ " He paused and poured himself another drink before continuing on, as he remembered more and more of that day that had caused this decision. " _She and I were at this store and there was this couple that was all in each other's faces and she said to me, 'I wish Sasuke would do that. All we do is hold hands and stuff — it's so boring.'_  I didn't believe her, at first, but it got to me. And the more she came and told me of these things that you had said about wanting more and being unhappy about our relationship until you got more, the more frightened I got. I found that I had liked the pace that we were going at and to do more was just… not for me."

"So… you dumped me." She concluded.

"Yeah, I dumped you." He took another drink.

"And you ended up dating  _Ino_?" She found that contradictory. Ino was certainly faster than she was, and if that was what made Sasuke end their relationship, then why would he go out with someone who was worse?

"I don't know how it happened, but she, at the time, seemed to be exactly what I needed. She didn't do anything. She was just there, and she comforted me and I found myself thanking her for telling me those things about you and helping me realize that everything wasn't perfect. You weren't happy in the relationship, so why should I continue to keep you locked up? One thing led to another and the next thing I knew, we were dating… and I proposed." He drank one last cup.

"Well, there's your answer. I hope it sufficed." He stated simply as he turned around on the couch and began to place the two objects on the table. He then stood and smoothed out his clothes before saying, "I'm going to go tell the dobe that we talked so that he can let us out." As he turned and headed for the door, Sakura got up from her seat and grabbed him.

Sasuke looked back at her. "What?"

"I… I never thought that…" She said to him, her voice low and watery, but still audible and coherent. "Not once did I think that I wanted any more from you than I was getting — not once did I think that I was unhappy in our relationship. I… was happy with how things were going… I liked it — _loved it_."

"So then why—"

"Because Ino's a  _bitch_!" She shouted, surprising them both. "She… s-she had said the same thing to me, that you wanted more and that if I didn't give it to you she would, and I didn't believe her but—" Her words had been rushed and she took a moment to breathe. "It… seemed to turn out to be true and it  _crushed_  me…"

"Sakura…"

"It hurt, Sasuke, it really did. I thought that you hated how things were going between us and that that was why you didn't want to be with me anymore…"

"That's… not true…" He admitted. "I liked how it was — I wanted it to stay that way and knew that eventually we would've started doing other things when we were comfortable and—" As the situation fully caught up with him, he heaved a sigh. "I made a mistake." He said. "I let her play me and… I'm  _so sorry_  Sakura. I really am."

"I-it's fine… Just… just… end the… engagement…" Her final words were so soft that he had barely managed to hear them.

But he did.

"I… I can't."

"Why?!" She shouted loudly and abruptly; catching him off guard. He just learned the truth — they both did. Neither of them was unhappy with their old relationship and they both wanted it to continue. So why wouldn't he call off his engagement with Ino, who had been the mastermind behind this, and let them continue their relationship?

"…Everything's already been paid for. The space has been rented, the caterers have the menu, the band has been hired, the dresses and tuxedoes have been picked out, the invitations sent out…" Her grip on his sleeve tightened. "Nothing's irreversible. And as much as I would honestly love to call the wedding off… it's too late."

It hurt her to hear that, and while she tried to choke down the sobs and keep herself from being lost in the sadness, it was simply too much of a slap in the face for her to recover from quickly — or at all.

It was so painful that she sunk down to her knees, crying. As she had been holding onto Sasuke, he went down with her too. He didn't resist it. It hurt him as much as it hurt her, but he was unable to physically show this. So he held her. In his arms, he made the first physical contact with her that he's had in months, and like he'd done several times before, he inhaled her sweet, sweet scent and just felt her against him.

 _I'm such an idiot._  He couldn't believe that he had fallen for Ino's words. He should've had more confidence in his girlfriend— err… ex-girlfriend.

He was unsure how long they were like that, but after a while, Sakura shifted and he moved back to allow her more space. When she sat back on her knees and wiped her tears, he just remained silent. He didn't know what to say.

"I…!" She spoke and he listened in, but again she paused. "I… I-I-I…" It was difficult to choose words. "W-w-w-won't… let Ino… h-have her way…"

He was confused by her statement, but had not time to think as Sakura shot-up and wrapped her hands around his neck. With the close proximity that they were in for a few seconds of her hesitation, he was able to identify what it is that she was doing.  _She's going to… kiss me…!_  But Sakura was timid. And not even in her drunken stupor would she rush in to do something like that. So they just stayed in that position, with her hands around his neck, and they stared into each other's eyes.

"I… I…" As she registered just what it was that she was going to do, Sakura's face went aflame. The nervous, shy, never-had-much-contact-with-boys female part of her was showing itself, and she was reminded of the fact that Sasuke was incredibly handsome and having him this close to her was too much.

She struggled to find the words to explain herself, and decided that she should end the situation as quickly as possible. She moved to remove her hands from his neck, but Sasuke placed his on her face and brought her to the point that their foreheads were touching.

"Sa…suke…?"

"We… can't let Ino have her way…" He said.

.

.

He kissed her.

It was not one of those heated, starved kisses that a couple would have in a fiery moment of exploded passion. Nor was it one of those relieved kisses that a couple had after being unable to see each other for so long. No. It was a kiss that only the two of them could have, not having had this type of contact with any person, before.

It was timid — sweet — shy — unsure — clumsy.

Trying to mimic what they'd vaguely seen others do, the two continued their odd first kiss. Slow, and surely with many mistakes in it, they did the best they could; simultaneously trying to bring each other closer and closer until Sakura was forced to sit on his lap.

He timidly pushed forward; moving to place his hand on her leg and making her skin tingle as his cool fingertips travelled further up her legs until they landed on her thighs.

While it was already too much stimulation for her, Sakura did not make a move to stop him. She instead kept a steady grip on his face, now that his hands let go of her and continued their soft ministrations of her body. His hand remained on her thigh, not daring to go any further.

But Sakura surprised him. She boldly took his hand and moved it further up her black skirt until he could feel the soft material of her panties in between his fingers. He stopped the kiss to look at this; her lifted skirt showed-off more of her smooth skin, yet his hand still disappeared beneath its crumpled form, as it got closer to her pelvis. "Sa—"

"D-don't s-s-say anything…" She said, stuttering out of embarrassing. "J-just… d-d-d-do what you want. I don't… mind…" She spoke softly into the side of his neck.

Understanding, Sasuke nudged her head upwards with his, and swooped in for another kiss. Feeling more confident, he nibbled on her bottom lip and made her squeak; shoving his tongue inside her mouth. She tried to keep hers away from him, but his found hers each time, and the two mixed.

With Sakura hanging onto his body by her own hands, he used the hand that was wrapped around her side to go up her skirt and pull at her panties while the one that had previously been there, trailed up her stomach and started to unbutton her shirt.

Pausing to take breath, she sighed under her breath, "Sasuke…"

"Aa…?" He responded lowly.

"Um… b-be—"

"Gentle? I know… you're my Sakura, I would never hurt you." And as though to prove his point, he positioned her on the ground, softly, and hovered over her.

He stared into her marvelous green eyes for a moment, before starting a trail of kisses from her lips, down her neck, and through her breasts down to her stomach. He felt Sakura's muscles tense and relax as he did this, and soon he focused his attention on her breasts, which were covered by her black bra.

Through the fabric he kissed her breasts, and later on did the same thing to her panties when he pulled her skirt high enough to fully reveal them. Blushing furiously, Sakura allowed him to do to her what he pleased, and only fully hesitated when Sasuke went to undo and remove her bra and fondle her.

He lost himself in the sound of her light moans and the feel of her skin. Allowing his instincts and surfacing needs to guide him, Sasuke handled Sakura in a way that she had never planned to be handled. She let out squeaks and gasps, lost herself in some things that made her realize just how sensitive she was in certain areas, and felt completely embarrassed by some of the other things he did.

When he finally slid into her, he tried his hardest to make her forget about the pain; kissing her everywhere he possibly could with their hands interlocked with one another. He allowed her to take the lead, then; sitting back while she moved when she wanted, and as fast as she wanted to. It had seemed to be a good strategy, as Sakura made no complaints of it being painful; focused more on the movement and the tiny pleasant feeling that she wanted to emerge, than anything else.

She reached her climax first, and realizing that he was nearing his, an alarm had gone off in his head. He… couldn't dare release himself inside Sakura. He was unsure whether she wanted it to go that far, or not.

"S-Sa… kura…" He moaned as she continued moving slowly. "I… Ngh… I'm gonna…"

She stopped his talking with her lips, and removed her hands from his and wrapped them around his body. She kissed him deeply, drawing his attention to something else — fully aware of the danger that was emerging. But she didn't mind. She was a medical student; she knew that the moment Sasuke had broken through her hymen there was the risk of pregnancy.

She knew.

And she didn't mind.

She placed no restraint on Sasuke as they both lost themselves in each other, that night. And by the time it was all over, his forehead was against hers and their heavy pants mixed together. Both of their bodies had sweat beads rolling on it, and there was a sticky mess around their pelvises.

There was a beautiful blush on her face, he noticed when he finally opened his eyes, and at this he smiled.

No words were said between the two.

.

.

Sakura was silent. Staring at Ino, who had recollected the night's events in a shorthanded version that all patrons in the church were able to understand and hear, she could hardly believe that she knew.

How did she know?!

"H-how…?"

"I have my sources." Ino stated with her head held high and a look in her eyes that assured Sakura that she could hold nothing from her. Ino knew everything, somehow. "Hmph. It's always the quite ones, isn't it? They say they're sweet and innocent and would never do a bad thing behind your back, and they end up having sex with your fiancé a mere three weeks before the wedding. Honestly…"

The wedding-attendees had grown silent. They themselves could not believe what it was that they were hearing.

"I… I…" Sakura was mortified. She had hoped that that moment would always remain between her and Sasuke. She had never planned to have another person come across the information, and having it announced to a whole church-full of friends and people that she knew…  _it was the most embarrassing thing that had happened to her_! "I… I…!" Her hands went up to her face, which was turning beet-red.

But Ino would have none of it. "Oh cut the crap, Sakura. We all know that you're not as innocent as you seem to be." She stated, getting tired of the façade that she believed Sakura was putting on. "Now let me be candid with you. While it's upsetting that I'm not his first, Sasuke is  _still_  my husband. You two can have an affair behind my back for all I care, but just know this: no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you will never be  _Mrs. Uchiha Sasuke_." She gave a satisfied smirk. "You were too late, sweetie."

Hearing these words, Sakura shook-off her embarrassment and steeled herself. She couldn't back down now. The past could not be undone; not only had she slept with Sasuke, but she had also ruined the ending of the ceremony by coming up here and slapping Ino in the face. She'd done many bold things that day; a few more wouldn't matter.

"You say that but… but… it won't last for long."

"Oh really?" Ino asked, unconvinced.

"That's right. There's no doubt in my mind that the day will come when you and Sasuke are no longer married, Ino. I know you too well — I'm your best friend, aren't I? — and you wouldn't dare to tie yourself down, especially not at your age. Being a wife, staying at him, doing chores and taking care of children… That's not something you're ready for. And when Sasuke wants more from you, you'll be unable to give it to him — but I certainly will be."

At her words, Ino smirked. There was a shine in her eyes as she stepped forward and stared at her ex-best friend, head on. Those green irises weren't watery; they were hard and there was a certain confidence in them that she hadn't seen before.

She smiled.

"I looked forward to that day, Sakura."

_._

_._

_Less than a year later, Ino and Sasuke filed for divorce under irreconcilable differences. Three months later the divorce was official, and nearly two years after their break-up, Sakura was happily pronounced 'Mrs. Uchiha Sasuke' — the one and only._

**Author's Note:**

> I swear to god, there is nothing more annoying than trying to make a short story and it coming up being way more words than you expected it to be. Ugh. Anyways, I rather liked this one, for several reasons. I'm really getting into the flow of just focusing on the main pairing and not having all these other factors come into play, but when I make a multi-chapter story, I may or may not have other couple teasers.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this story, ~~and I can't wait to get back into my usual story flow once this week is up.~~


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